Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...12-20-10

For The Week Of 12-20-10

5. The awesome scalloped potatoes costco introduced into the lives of Mel and myself.

4. Getting some awesome christmas gifts.

3. Christmas day - This year we were all over the bay area on christmas day. From Walnut Creek to Oakley for breakfast at Mel's dads house (awesome crispy bacon and I got a sweet Giants shirt !! ) then to Daly City for Lunch at Mel's Poppa's house (Fantastic curry and lumpia and samosas...I wish I had some right now !! ) to American Canyon (near Vallejo) for dinner at Mel's Mom's house ( Awesome spaghetti and toasted bread/olive oil combo !! ) and then back to walnut creek. It was rainy but it was great day, filled with great people and alot of laughs.

2. Christmas eve - This year, there was a ton of people at my Moms for christmas eve. It was like old times. Except better. Lots of laughs...there was singing and presents and great food.

1. Giving people some great gifts - I have fun giving gifts and watching my family open the gifts on christmas eve. Seeing Melanie open the presents I gave her was great and a big part of a great christmas.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom & Mel's Holiday Mix 2010

1. Bon Jovi : You Give Love A Bad Name - Sometimes you have to start with a song that gets the blood pumping....We have been watching a ton of How I Met Your Mother on dvd. Go to season 1's new years eve episode to see why this was put on here...

2. The Tallest Man On Earth: The Medicine and The Sparrow - Mel introduced me to the music of the Tallest Man On Earth and I've been listening to him for most of the year, this is one of my favorites.

3. Ryan Adams : Goodnight Rose - Recently I've rediscovered the awesomeness of Ryan Adams, this was going to be the opening track...until I decided to kick it up a notch with Bon Jovi. Still, this is a great song.

4. The Stiff Dylans : She's So Lovely - Mel has, for years been reading a series about a crazy (funny) girl named Georgia Nicolson (they are funny books) and not to long ago they made a movie about the first book called "Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging" (the books are set in England). The movie was really funny and this song was the played in the opening credits. A fun song that makes us smile.

5. Regina Spektor: Us - This song was on the soundtrack to "500 Days (Of Summer)" and I liked it the first time I heard it. For most of the year we have been going to the library and checking out stuff (Mel reads whole books, I check out graphic novels and other comic stuff) and the library also has dvds (OLD TWILIGHT ZONES !!) and cds you can check out. It was because of that I could get this song.

6. The Black Keys : Tighten Up - For years I've been telling people about The Black Keys...this year, the world started to listen.

7. The Foo Fighters : Band On The Run - I love me some Foo Fighters !! And on this cover song, they sound like they are having a great time !! Plus, its just fun to sing along to in the car.

8. Cee-Lo Green : Fuck You - One of my favorite songs of the year. When I heard the song title I thought it would be an awful song just meant to shock people. But this song was fun and fun to sing in the car. I must have played this song a hundred times since I downloaded it (Limewire, I miss you) Personally, didnt find the F you's offensive.

9. Dr. John : Down In New Orleans - This song, from the soundtrack to "The Princess & The Frog" is just too fun to leave off this mix. And if your going to pick someone to sing a song about New Orleans (where the movie is set) your not going to find anyone better than Dr. John. This movie, music and story, was good and I enjoyed it.

10. Cash Money Heroes : I Made it - This year, the team I rooted for my WHOLE life, The San Francisco Giants, won the World Series. And while they played Journey's "Dont Stop Believing" it was THIS song I thought of when they won. (" I look up to the sky and now the world is mine, I made it !! ") I esp. like the part when he says "I do it for the love of the game" and while he meant a different game, this song will remind me of my teams Championship season.

11. Kid Cudi : Embrace The Martian - Last year, there was a week or two when I really really was into Cudi. And then I wasn't. It was The Melanie who asked me "Have you heard 'Embrace The Martian' ? " She played it for me and I was a fan again.

12. William Fitzsimmons : Heartless - Many people tried to cover this Kanye West song...The Fitzsimmons did it better than everyone else.

13. Kanye West : Amazing - I loves me some Kanye !! And while most people are playing his new cd, this is off his VH1 Storytellers (that seemingly only Mel and I watched) cd/dvd combo. And it is AWESOME !! I like the song but its all the crazy nonsense he babbles about ( OJ Simpson shout outs, Misquoting The Dark Knight", etc ) that makes me love this song. Everyone reading this should see this special...it was hilarious, he says the dumbest crap and believes it with his whole hear ("I get my quotes from movies cause I dont read no books"). Oh, yeezy, how you constantly entertain me.

14. Ryan Adams: I See Monsters - I've always loved this song. I hope you will too.

15. Los Lobos : Not In Nottingham - A last minute addition to the mix. Mel thought we should add it and she was so right !! She got me a cd called "Los Lobos goes Disney" in which, you guessed it, the Lobos cover a few disney songs. Thankfully, they do a few from my favorite Disney movie, Robin Hood. This is a great song that for years, watching the movie, I thought, "why doesn't anyone cover this song? ". I would if I was a singer.

16. The Tallest Man On Earth: It Will Follow The Rain - Another great song by one of our favs...this was the first song Melanie played me of his and I liked it the first time I heard it.

17. Stevie Wonder : As - The year, when putting together a mix for Melanie's birthday I revisited this song. It's opening lines ("As around the sun the earth it keeps revolving. And the rosebuds know to bloom in early may. Just as hate knows loves the cure, you can rest your mind assured, that I'll be loving you always,") reminds me of how I feel about her.

18. David Bowie : Wild Is The Wind- Last years mix, I endeed with the Nina Simone version. A great song. And Bowie is Bowie. Few people are more awesome.


Thank you for listening to our mix.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Merry Christmas,
Tommy & Melanie

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...12-13-10

For The Week Of 12-13-10

5. Finding out there is going to be a ton of family coming to Christmas eve this year.

4. Hanging out at our apartment and having a How I Met Your Mother Season 1 marathon with Melanie.

3. Dinner on Friday night at Chili's with the Ganda Girls to start Ashley's birthday weekend.

2. Dinner on Saturday night at Mel's Dad's house to celebrate Ashleys Birthday

1. Sunday, Ashley's actual Birthday - Happy 20th BD little A !! On Sunday we went and watched "The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader " and it was waaay better than I thought it would be. We also watched Harry Potter again and it was as good as ever. Despite the rain, dinner at Applebees was great. It was a fun weekend.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...12-6-10

For The Week Of 12-6-10

5. The History Of Coca Cola - I loves me some Diet Coke. It's tasty and, as I type this, I have one next to me. (I'm also a fan of diet root beer and diet orange soda...but we are talking about coke here) and on Tuesday, with not much on tv, Melanie and I watched an interesting special about the history of Coca Cola. It was a fun watch and cool to see all the memorabilia.

4. Reading the super paper in my reading nook.

3. The dinner I made on Friday night - After a long week, I felt like making a nice home cooked meal on friday night. A BIG nice home cooked meal. I made steak and potatoes and broccoli with cheddar ( though the last two, I admit, I just heated up). It was a tasty meal that Mel and I enjoyed.

2. Watching ( for Mel the first time seeing it) "A Christmas Story" and drinking some Blue Moons with my most favorite person on a Thursday night.

1. Driving around Walnut Creek with Melanie and checking out all the awesome christmas decorations people put on there lawns - Tons of lights, inflatable Santas, Santa on a motercycle... It was cool to see how some of the bigger (rich people) houses put on a display of lights. And it was fun driving around with my love and checking it out !

So...that's it.

What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...11-29-10

Can't believe its friggin december already.

Fr The Week Of 11-29-10

5. Having a shitload of Magazines, comics and a really great book to read - Perfect supplies for this cold, rainy weather we've been having.

4. A fun friday night with The Melanie - Some tasty pizza (that we got for less cause of a cupon I found) from Rocco's pizza and, coming home, to a mini "How I Met Your Mother" season 1 marathon. A fun night with my Love.

3. Going to Spoontonic and having a few drinks with Nikki, Liz and, of course, The Melanie !!

2. Getting my reading nook back - whenever the christmas season rolls around (as it seems to do every year around this time), we rearrange the living room to fit a tree. This means putting my chair closer to the heater where it's cozy and the ideal place for holiday reading. I love me this "reading nook" and, in fact, woke up early on a day off so I could enjoy reading the Potter (book 1) for a few hours before we started our day.

1. Oh, CHRISTMAS TREE !!! - Sunday we got our tree !! And, as is our family tradition, Melanie, Ashley, Frannie (this year with My Mom as a special guest star) and myself decorated it. Also part of the tradition is christmas music and hot coca. It was a fun time and we have a awesome tree this year. The holidays are in full effect and I'm loving it.

So...that's it.

What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week 11-22-10

For The Week Of 11-22-10

5. The "Blitz" episode of "How I Met Your Mother" -This week, after a few "just okay" episodes How I Met Your Mother kept there streak of funny Thanksgiving episodes going by having another good one. This episode was about the "Blitz" (what they called a person who always left just BEFORE something great happened ) played by Hurley from "Lost". Full of Lost references,this episode was pretty funny.

4. Having a tasty Thanksgiving with my Family.

3. Deciding to re-read the Harry Potter series - I enjoyed watching the 7th movie so much that I decided to revisit the book series. So far, I'm on book one and am very much enjoying it.

2. Having a tasty (NACHOS !!) belated birthday lunch with Chris King.

1. The AWESOME mash potatoes Melanie's Grandmother made for Thanksgiving - This year, for thanksgiving, I made the mashed potatoes and they came out good. I was proud of how tasty they were. But the Day after thanksgiving I had some leftovers that Mel's grandma had sent us and the mashed potatoes were AWESOME !!! Creamy and butter filled, no lumps...each spoonfull made me say, "Mmmm" outloud. Yeah, to make a long description short, they were great.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...11-15-10

I've never missed a week of writing the Top 5, but this week, been so busy it came close:

For The Week Of 11-15-10

5. Having drinks with friends and fam @ Spoontonic on sat night to celebrate my birthday - Thank you to everyone who came out and had a drink with me...from what I remember (gets a little fuzzy towards the end of the night ) I had a great time.


One any other week, any of the next four WOULD be number one....

4. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - We have been waiting to see this movie for a long LONG time now...and the fact that it came out the day after my birthday made it even cooler and added to the awesome birthday weekend. The movie was great and made me wish I could fast forward time and see part 2. I give it a 9/10.

3. House Of Prime Rib - On the night of my 30th birthday My love Melanie took me to eat at the House Of Prime Rib in the city. We had seen the place on tv when Anthony Bourdain ate there in one episode. Since the place was called the House Of Prime Rib,I'll give you one guess as to what I ate. The Food, excellent. The Price, expensive. The Memories, um, memorable. And, best of all, the person I was with to share it all made this a birthday dinner I will never forget.

2. Iphone ( or how, after months of making fun of Iphone people, I joined the darkside) - My phone was breaking. It had been for months. And with a birthday this week, along with the fact my cell phone contract was up, Melanie and My Mom teamed up and got me an Iphone. I was nervous about getting it because I am really rough on my phones ( The one previous to this,I dropped on Mission st. after owning it for only 3 days and scratched it). Still, it's an awesome gift/phone and I'm enjoying it.

1. Tommy's 30 - It's kinda weird to think/write/say I'm thirty years old now. Where did the time go ? On the day of my birthday I had the day off and did what most responsible mature 30 year old do...slept in then went to Denny's and got a free Grand Slam breakfast then...spent hours digging through the $1 bin of a comic book store !! It was fun. Later that afternoon, I spent some time with My Uncle Bobby ( who was celebrating his birthday as well...same day as mine). I received over 50 "Happy Birthday"s from people during the course of the day,which was really nice. And in the evening, my favor tie person in the world took me to the House Of Prime Rib !! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...11-8-10

For The Week Of 11-8-10

5. Briskit Nachos from Smokin' Oakies - A delicious treat that Melanie discovered. The combo of bbq and nachos is always a winner in my book.

4. "Clash Of The Titans" - I remember watching the orginial once, as a kid (but dont remember much about it)...and, this week, decided to check the new one. A decent action movie that had many similarities to Percy Jackson (which I liked a whole lot more ).

3.  After spending a few days in LA...enjoying the simple pleasure of sleeping in my own bed

2. Rocco's Pizza - The other day Mel and I set out to have dinner at Applebee's...and it was wicked crowded (damn you Vets day).  A so, instead, we ate at Rocco's pizza, a place we've never been to. And the pizza was awesome !! Though nothing as ever, or will ever, compare to Bravo's pizza. This was a good Walnut Creek Alternative.

1. After a fun, crazy time in LA the previous weekend in LA, spending a quiet weekend with My Melly at home.

So...that's it.

What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...11-1-10

For the week of 11-1-10

This weeks Top 5, in all honesty, focuses on mostly two things...but, man, are they awesome !!

5. Disney's California Adventure- This week, after months of planning and more than a year or so of saving Melanie, Lori, Ashley and I went to the Magic Kingdom to celebrate the birthdays of Mel and I (though hers already happend and mine had yet to ). California Adventure is going under major changes...things are closed for remodel, new lands are being built. And in a few years it should look really different. Still, we managed to see all of our favorite things in that park. Alaadin stage show, tower of terror, Soarin over california...and a few new things. The World Of Color is the new nighttime show and, while not as awesome as Fantasmic, it was still cool to see. elecTRONica was a club (or a disney version of a futuristic club) with bright lights and music...based on the world of Tron....it was cool and made me want to see the original (to see what they hype is about) before the new one comes out...which I guess was the point of the club thing.

4. The Road Trip to La - All the road trip essentials were there : Snacks, good music, a few laughs and most of all...great people !!

3. Disney Christmas Day Parade - On our last day in the parks they were filming the Disney Christmas Day Parade...HOW AWESOME IS THAT !! We stood in line to see (Disney used the term "major celebs", I however will not go that far) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Nick Cannon and Selena Gomez. By the time Selena Gomez came out we were in the front of the audience...so, I might be on camera cheering for her (god, hope that doesnt ruin what little "street cred" i might have. haha). It was a long wait but, to me, a once in a lifetime thing...to say we where there for the Disney Christmas parade...which I've been watching since I was a kid...was a cool treat.

2. Disneyland - For as long as I can remember, I've loved almost all things Disney. And Disneyland has to be one of my favorite places on earth. I was there with some great people and, best of all, the lines were not long (maybe 40 minutes was the most we waited...but walked right in to some major rides). We went on pretty much everything (literally) and got to ride all the things we were really hoping to ride...with one exception. Since I was 7 or 8 and rode it for the first time, Star Tours has been my favorite ride and a few months ago it closed (Star Tours II, coming 2011) and I was sad to see it go...LIGHTSPEED TO ENDOR !!..a great place, great people and (despite the high prices for everything) a really fun trip.

On any other week, in any other year, THIS would be number one....however, this week, history was made....

1. THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS WIN THE MOTHERFUCKING WORLD SERIES !!!!!!!!- I hoped, but worried I would never get to write this sentence. Without question, the greatest sports related moment in my lifetime.For as long as I can remember, I've rooted for the Giants. I can remember watching games (when I was about 7 or so) on tv with My Uncle Bobby and Papo (who told me about the game, who played what...how runs were scored...why the dodgers are bums...etc). When I was 9 my cousin Michael took me to my first game (Giants lost to Padres in that one...and had I known then it would be my only chance, thus far, to sit in a skybox...I wouldve opted to stay there instead of the nosebleeds where we sat. Haha). I remember my Dad watching the '89 world series (and the earthquake that came along with that game) and how he was rooting for both teams. My whole family has rooted for the Giants. And when that last strike was called and the Giants won the world series I thought of all the people who had passed away and never got to see this moment. But for a second, it felt like they were watching with me, cheering beside me. I know it might sound weird to put such a heavy spin on a game, but its what I was thinking as the world series came to a close. And actually watching the game with me were my two most favorite people in the world. My Mom and My Melly. And we cheered like crazy. I recieved over 100 text messages and more than a few calls from fellow friends and family (and friends who are family) sharing the excitement from the bars or parties or other places they were at...but sitting there, on my Mom's sofa (where I had watched so many games before), i had the perfect place to watch a moment I had waited my whole life to see...there was no better place to be, and nobody better to be with...it was a great moment and one I will never forget.

Now...lets win another next season....!!

So...that's it.

What's been awesome about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...

For The Week Of 10-25-10

5. Finishing, hella early I know, my Chirstmas shopping - I've slowly, when I have a few extra dollers, been getting christmas gifts. Money is tight, with usual expenses and an upcoming BD Disneyland trip (more on this next week, no doubt) but I managed to finish waaay early. And almost all the gifts are wrapped too !!

4. While at one of Melanie's birthday dinners, hearing Lori's funny "Robot" comment - It still makes me laugh just thinking about it !!

3. Eating hella tasty BBQ with My Mom and Mel on the day before Mel's birthday.

2. Taking My love to eat a great dinner to celebrate her 23rd birthday.

1. Melly comes home - On Friday, Mel went to Las Vegas as part of a work function. She came home Sunday, And while 3 days might not seem like alot, this was, in our almost 3 years together, the longest we have ever been apart. Aside from the fact that my back has been hurting, missing her only added to a not great weekend for me. But when she got out of that car, gave me a big hug...all was right with the world. I was glad to have her home. (As you can prob. tell by reading this weeks Top 5). And while my back is still, as I type this, hurting me alot, having her home makes it feel just a bit better.

So...that's it.

What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...10-18-10

For The Week Of 10-18-10

5. Almost finishing my christmas shopping - I know, for most people, even thinking about christmas shopping is a few months away. But, being my Mothers son ( My mom Starts christmas shopping in Feb or so) I decided to start early. And, as of this writing, I only have a few more people to get...avoiding the crazy christmas time malls and shoppers will be great.

4. Having drinks with Michael, Meghan and Melanie on saturday night.

3.Trading in some cds that I didnt need and getting more money than I thought I would in the trade....then, finding a collection of Royal Rumble matches for hella cheap and using some of the store credit I'd just gotten.

2. Seeing the Giants win the National leauge and go to THE WORLD SERIES !!!

1. Having a perfect Sunday morning with The Melanie !!

So...that's it

What's been cool about your week? 

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...10-11-10

For The Week Of 10-11-10

5. Kick Ass - I thought the movie was okay, and this week decided to check out the graphic novel from the library. And while some panels were recreated exactly by the movie, this graphic novel ended up being far more bloody with more curse words. In short, it was real good.

4. Watching the Giants make it to the National Leauge Championship !!

3. Having Lunch with my Mom on Saturday

2. Spending a Sunday hanging out with Ashley and Melanie

1. Having a tasty sushi dinner with Melanie - I hadnt had sushi in awhile and Melanie surprised me by treating me to a great sushi dinner one night this week. I tried some new rolls and they were excellent.

So...that's it.

What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...10-4-10

Really late with the Top 5 this week,but better late than never.

For The Week Of 10-4-10

5. Popeye's chicken is the shiznit !!?!?! - This week, after years of not having it,I tasted some popeyes chicken. And it was DAMN tasty !! The chicken, the mash potatoes and the biscuits...all good.

4. The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite - Thanks to the library, I was able to read all six issues of this series (first mentioned in a previous Top 5). A fun read in which,unlike many comics these days, even the smallest panel held something important in the story. A good read.

3. Watching Game 1 Of The 2010 National League Division Series - In which the Giants won 1-0 vs. The Braves and Timmy stuck out 14 batters!!

2. Counting and rolling coins that we have been saving for most of the year, with Ashley and Melanie.

1. After spending a long day at the DMV, coming home to a quiet night of tv with Mel.

so...thats it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...9-27-10

For The Week Of 9-27-10

HM : The Giants WIN the national league west !!

5. Watching the Giants beat the D'backs on wed night - Went to the game with Chris King and had a great time. This was aa week where every win got us closer to (that eventual) NL West title, so every win counted, big time. Good game, good company, good weather, tasty beers.

4. "Fuck You" by Cee-Lo Green - Don't let the expletive heavy title fool you, this song is a quirky gem. A soul sound with some funny lyrics. I've been playing this song all week.

3. X-Men : Second Coming - I've been waiting all summer to read this !! The third part in the "Messiah " trilogy (Messiah complex, Messiah War being the other two you SHOULD read) has been coming out in single issues all summer. Sadly, I didn't have the money to get all the issues then and waited patiently for the graphic novel to come out. And it was sure worth the wait !! With the death of two MAJOR characters and a half dozen more seriously hurt, this should shake things up for some time. A great read. If your an Xmen fan, check this out !!

2. Spending a fun Sunday morning with Mel and Ashley - Had a fun, relaxing morning with two of my favorite people in the world !! Even though I fell asleep while we were watching tv and had to cut the morning short to get ready for work (boo !!), I still had fun.

1. Having a great Saturday with My Mom, The Ashley and The Melanie !! - Had a great day with my family. Any time I'm with my favorite people is time well spent.

So...thats it.
What's been awesome about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...9-20-10

For The Week Of 9-20-10

5. "The Umbrella Academy" - back when I worked at Borders, I saw this comic in the racks. And passed it up. I admit, I thought, How good could a comic written by a emo artist possibly be ? But, over the years, I kept hearing about how good this series was. This week I saw the first issue was reprinted and selling for only one dollar. I decided to give it a try. Written by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, "The Umbrella Academy" is the story (as far as I can tell) of 7 heroes, born under mysterious circumstances, who save the world. The story in the first issue jumped around a little too much, but it did peak my interest in reading more.

4. Reading old school Transformers comics- Not too long ago, Mel and I went to Half Price Books where I bought a few old TF comics for .25 cents each. I read my fair share of the them when I was a kid and thought it would be a nice trip down memory lane. This week, while cleaning, I found a few more issues that I had. It was fun to read and I had a great time reading before bed.

3. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief - I liked the movie so much, I read the book. And it was fun, funny and had a ton of action. Waaay different from the movie, it was a blast to read. I'm looking forward to reading more.

2. Spending a quiet night at home watching the giants game and reading comics with my Melly.

1. Having a great Sunday morning sleeping in and going to breakfast (IHOP) with Melanie before I started a long work day - It was great to spend the morning with my favorite person in the world !! I wish all mornings could be as great as this one.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...9-13-10

Really late writing the Top 5 this week, but better late than never.

Also : This blog just passed 100 hits...not alot compared to some but for a blog with only a few known followers, it's pretty damn cool. Thank you for reading, whomever you are.

For the week of 9-13-10

5. Spiderman : Shattered Dimensions - I've been hearing about this game for awhile now and decided to rent it from Blockbuster. I played for about an hour and found it to be a fun game. It kinda reminded me of the Wolverine game that came out last year, except without the blood and guts (which was an awesome part of THAT game). Still. it was fun to play...and hear. Spiderman was voiced by neil patrick harris (NPH !!) and the trademark spiderman sarcasm was there, and funny !

4. Eating at country waffle with Ashley.

3. Watching the Giants BEAT LA (2-1) with Chris King- And having a ton of beers before the game was fun too !!

2. Eating at the always great Mandalay and then watching The Tallest Man On Earth play at the Filmore - This was, in all honesty, the first show The Melanie and I have been to together. The Tallest Man On Earth was first played for me by Mel and I liked it (though to be honest, she knows his music better). When we heard he was coming to town, Mel jumped on the tickets. Great music and a great time.

1. Watching the Giants beat the Brewers (9-2) with Melanie - I first went to a baseball game when I was 9 years old. My cousin Micheal took me to, sadly, see the Giants lose to the Padres. In the 20 years (WOW ! ) since that first game I've been to plenty more games...I've seen tons of cool stuff at the ballpark....but I've NEVER seen a grand slam. Until this week !! The giants hit a grand slam to jump out to an early lead. And best of all, I saw it with my favorite person in the world (and fellow Giants fan !! ). A day at the ballpark with my Melly is always a great day.

So...that's it.
What's been awesome about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...9-6-10

For The Week Of 9-6-10

5. The Endless pasta/soup/salad and bread sticks combo at the olive garden - a tasty lunch with Melanie and my Mom.

4. Dinner at Mel's Mom's House - Carne Asada !! I had a fun time hanging out at Mel's mom's place. The dinner and the company was, as always, great.

3. "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid " - Mel and I didnt expect much from this movie, we thought it would be a fun kids movie. Twenty minutes into the movie, we were cracking up laughing . A really funny, though predictable, movie that we enjoyed the hell out of ! 7.5/10.

2. Hanging out all weekend with Ashley and Melanie.

1. Having a day off with Mel - with our work schedules it seems that Melanie and I hardly ever have the same day off. But, thanks to Memorial Day, this week, we did !! We went to a cool comic book shop where Melly got me some cool stuff. We later went to lunch with my Mom and had a nice dinner at home, just she and I...then we watched Diary Of A Wimpy Kid...it was a great day with my most favorite person in the world !

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...8-30-10

For The Week Of 8-30-10

5. Enjoying a tasty Costco chicken bake for lunch after a short (felt long) shift at work.

4. Enjoying the last day of the libraries free book giveaway - in which I found some more books for Mel to enjoy.

3. Coming home with a pizza and getting a nice surprise from my Melly- "Here, I saw these and thought of you,"said my lady love. And chilling (literally) in the fridge was some ice cold beers. I love this woman !!

2. Talking, saving, planning and getting excited about our Disneyland trip !!

1. (all things add up to awesomeness on my Sunday)

Melanie
Ashley
Mom
Superpaper
Tamales for breakfast
San Jose Flea Market
Good (not to hot) weather
Not bad traffic
Chinese food for dinner
+ Iron Chef on tv when we got home
----------------------------------------
Fantastic day off !!

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...8-23-10

For The Week Of 8-23-10

5. Punisher vs. Daken - Back when I was a kid, reading comics, I wasn't the biggest fan of The Punisher. Recently, I read a graphic novel that had Daken (Wolverine's son...same powers, no remorse for killing. Needless to say, though I feel I must, he's a cool character. ) cut the head of the Punisher off. And like most comic book characters, he didn't stay dead for long. This week I got read Punisher vs. Daken- round 2.
Full of blood, violence and two people looking to take each other out (later, in the story, someone else...guess who?...joins the fight, making it a three way dance). This was a fun read and I cant wait for the final part of the story to come out.

4. Having a great day off - In which I visited a comic book store in Castro Valley that I'd been to once before, years ago. It was awesome ($1 old school marvel comics and, picking up the issues I mentioned in this weeks number 5). Best of all, since I was so close, I was able to visit with my Uncle Bobby...whom I hadn't seen in a month.

3. The free book giveaway at the Library- about a month ago, while at the library, Mel and I saw a flyer for this event. And this week, I went to check it out. What I thought was a book sale was, in fact, a book lovers dream come true. Hundreds of boxes, thousands of books available FOR FREE !! I grabbed a few books, it was so hot that day (110 degrees !!) that I couldn't stay that long. I knew I'd be back...

2. Taking my Mom to the free book giveaway - While looking at all the books, I noticed tons of romance novel paperbacks...my Mom's favorite. I called and told her about this and the next day, after work, I picked her up from bart. I thought she would take a book or three...what ended up happening was I loaded boxes...BOXES ...of books in my car as she told me things like "I'll take all the books in that box...dump the books in the trunk but bring back the box, I'm going to fill it again....see those two boxes, I'll take those...leave the bag here so I can fill it up while you carry those boxes to your car..."
I dont know how many books we collected that day, the trunk was full...my best guess was over 200 books...best part, it was all FREE !!

1. Giants game with Lori, Ashley and Melanie - Got some Giants tickets from Mel's Dad and watched a great game in the BEST. SEATS. EVER !! Ten rows from 1st base...you could even order food and it would be delivered to your seat. Amazing. And and and...after back and forth action, the Giants won !!

So...thats it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week..8-16-10

For The Week Of 9-16-10

5. The surprisingly good fish tacos at Rubios

4. Baseball (9th inning) by Ken Burns - I'd known about this documentary for years now, but have never sat down and watched it. This week, thanks to the walnut creek library, I checked out the last part in this series...about the modern ( which covered the 70's and ended at 1992) era of the game, it was fun to see the stories and players I'd either never seen before or forgotten about...

3. "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" - Mel and I watched this movie some time ago, and this week Netflix brought it to us for a second viewing. A fun movie that we both enjoyed.

2. Watching old school wrestling( Ricky the dragon Steamboat vs. Ravishing Rick Rude in a 30 minute iron man match from 1992) and eating some tasty fish tacos = a fun afternoon.

1. Big mouth burger- I went to this San Bruno burger joint with my Mom and Melanie and had Mel's favorite burger, the hangover. A tasty combo of burger, bacon and an egg on top...this was great. The fries were good too and, a rarity for fries, were even tasty the next day for leftovers...

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...8-9-10

For The Week Of 8-9-10

5. Making some awesome tasting Turkey Burgers for Mel, Ashley and myself - I'd never made (or had, I think) Turkey burgers before. And it was damn tasty...easy to make as well. I made these with tater tots and I think it was liked by all.

4. Making picadillo at home for Melly and I - This was the second time I've ever made picadillo (ground beef, potatos, corn and I add mushrooms in a tasty tomato based stew) and the first time I've made it at my apartment. I lost the recipe my mom wrote down for me and had to go by memory. It came out great and was even a tasty lunch the next day at work !!

3. "Inception" - After weeks of wanting to see it, Mel and I finally checked out this movie. A good movie with the always awesome Leonardo Di Caprio and Joseph Gorden Livett. The special effects were cool and the story, or rather, what I understood of it, was good. I think, if watched a few more times, I will like it more...still it's a 7/10.

2. "Hellboy : The Right Hand Of Doom"- This graphic novel came to me thanks to the Walnut Creek library and was, in fact, the first Hellboy graphic novel I've ever read. As a fan of the movies, I decided to check it out. And I loved it. Full of cool battles, mythology and Hellboy sense of humor, I cant wait to read more.

1. Sitting in the cold, eating burgers, fries and later lukewarm hot chocolate at the ballpark and watching the Giants beat the Cubs 4-3 in 11 innings with Melanie, My Mom and Ashley - A fantastic game that took place on my Mom's Birthday....Happy birthday Mom, I hope you enjoyed the game...we all enjoyed watching it with you.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...8-2-10

For The Week Of 8-2-10

5. Going to the A's game with Mel, Ashley and Zac- I'm a Giants fan, lets get that out of the way. But on a nice day, there was nothing better than enjoying some baseball, for cheap tickets ($9 !!) with some great people. A's won 3-2 by the way. Rangers lost.

4. Having some good food and great cake (made by Ashley) and going to a movie to celebrate Mel's Dad's Birthday.

3. "The Other Guys"- This was the movie we watched. A funny (forgetting there was not a strong plot) movie that kept us laughing. Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell made for a good comedy team. 7/10.

2. Nutella - tried this for the first time this week...and where have you been all my life ??

1. After saying I've been wanting some for over a week, treating myself to a box of Snowcaps.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...7-26-10

For The Week Of 7-26-10

5. Philly cheese steak I had on Friday - After watching someone eat one on tv the other day, I'd been wanting a philly cheese steak. Friday I got one. And it was tasty as hell. I scarfed it down.

4. Getting a surprise visit at work from My Mom, Aunt Nana and Melanie.

3. The fantastic cupcakes Mel and Ashley made on Tuesday night - A tasty treat made by two of my favorite people.

2. Sunday dinner- In which Melanie made the tasty trio of pesto pasta, Mashed potatos and Lemon Chicken. A great job (tasted great too) from my little chef.

1. Spending Saturday morning with my Melly - I got to spend a few hours in the morning on Saturday with Mel before we both had to go work. It was great to have breakfast, talk and spend a great morning together before having to head into work.

So...thats it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...7-19-10

For The Week Of 7-19-10

5. Watching two old white people argue in line at safeway - one of which was the store manager who yelled, I'M SICK OF THIS GOD DAMN JOB !!!...it was awesome.

4. Having lunch and catching up with Ricky.

3. The series finale of "Boy Meets World" - The repeats may come on early but it was worth it to see the ending of one of my favorite shows. A fun, funny, then sad ending that saw everyone moving on to the next phase in their lives. I only wish they'd put all the seasons out on dvd again.

2. Watching the Giants beat LA 7-4 in one of the most exciting tv games I've seen in some time- My team is on a hot streak and Mel, Ashley and I sat hear last tuesday and watched a game that kept us on the edge of our seats.

1. Watching Giants games, both in person and on tv, with My Melly- I'm so happy to be with a fellow Giants fan (and NOT a dodgers fan...that might be a dealbreaker.Haha. Dont think I could do it. Haha.)...we have a good time watching on tv and, when we are at the ballpark, cheering for the home team...while snacking on some garlic fries!! She's awesome and this is simply another reason why!!

So, that's it.
Whats been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...7/12/10

For The Week Of 7-12-10

5. Archie comics signing at Flying Colors Comics - Read on Facebook that this week Dan Parent, artist and writer of Archie comics, was going to be signing stuff at Flying Colors. Mel (who loves her some Archie's...Veronica being her fav), Ashley and I went there...and were one of the first people to get our stuff signed. A fun afternoon.

4. Kiersten's 21st BD at Spoontonic -A fun night where the dj played some 90's rap and some random strange middle aged gentleman freestyled for me over Biggie's "Juicy" beat ( " Thanks for listening man, I just needed to get that out") which was kinda weird...

3. My Melly spoils me with Comics (at Flying Colors) and food and drinks at the Giants game-Results !!!

2. A day at the ballpark with my love !! - Watching a great Giants game as the home team came from behind win 8-5. We had such a great time.

1. Making picadillo for my Melly- It was my first time making this tasty dish...my mom helped me and I think I did a good job. Leftovers were great too.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...7-5-10

For The Week Of 7-5-10

5. Thanks to my Mom, getting hella food from costco- Thanks Mom.

4. Making a mixtape that I know (hope) the Melanie will enjoy.

3. Amazing Spiderman presents "American Son" - This story, about the (messed up) relationship between Norman and Harry Osborn was a really fun read. Action packed and funny, this was one of the better recent things I checked out from the library.

2. The Foo Fighters cover "Band On The Run" - A great, fun cover that you could tell the band had a great time making. I've been playing this all week and its been good listening.

1. Saturday morning - Mel and I got to spend a nice quiet Saturday morning together before we both had to go to work. We ate breakfast and talked...it was a great morning with my love.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...6-28-10

For The Week Of 6-28-10

5. "Space Jam" - I had not seen this movie in years and on Friday, Mel and I watched it while having drinks ( a combination of the kid and adults sides of us, I guess ) at home. The movie was shorter than I remembered but still really fun to watch. And the R.Kelly song " I believe I can fly" at the end...I was surprised that I knew most of the words still.

4. Having a bunch of songs downloaded for me by the always awesome Melanie !!

3. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat dvd - From the time I was 6 years old, my all time favorite wrestler has been Ricky Steamboat. And for the first time ever he's gotten his own dvd. There were some old matches on there but the best part was the career retrospective talking to him, people he wrestled and today's wrestlers who, like myself, rooted for the Dragon. A fun dvd that I really enjoyed watching.

2. An awesome dinner made by my favorite person - On Saturday Mel cooked an awesome-tastic dinner. It was spaghetti and meat sauce and it was fucking fantastic...I ate till I couldn't move. Fantastic. And I cant wait till she makes it again !!

1. Pleasanton (Alameda) county fair - A perfect day ( weather, crowd size and ever other kinda way-wise) with some fantastic people. Melanie, Ashley, My Mom and I went to the fair on the 4th of July. We tasted some weird/ tasty fair food. The sun, while warm, was not blazing hot...it was the perfect weather to either go to a fair or see a ballgame. I had so much fun spending time with some of my favorite people. A fantastic day from start to finish.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awsome Things This Week...6-21-10

For The Week Of 6-21-10

It was, reading back this list, a good week....on any other week, any of these could have been at the top of the Top 5....

5. Starbucks Main & Duncan Reunion at Spoontonic - Had a drink or three with some of the old main and duncan crew. Some of us are still with the bux, some not....but it was fun to get together with some people I hadn't seen in awhile and talk old times.

4. Having a great weekend - Melly and I went to the Giants Red Sox game on sat. and even though the wrong team won (Sox 4-2 ), it was a great day for baseball. The next day,I went to the swap meet and got some great bootlegs....we watched "Shrek Ever After" which is stupid title yet ended up being a movie I enjoyed waaaay more than I thought I would ( I didn't think I would enjoy it at all...I was wrong). Went to see Toy Story 3 with Ashley and Mel and later we had some tasty hot dogs and hamburgers. It's rare that I get a whole weekend off...and I think I made the most of it. Fun times.

3. Waking up early and watching episodes of "Boy Meets World".

2. Eating some tasty ribs and having more than a few laughs with my family at $1 rib night at smokin' oakies.

1. Making dinner, sitting down and getting to hear all about Melanie's first day at work.

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...6-14-10

Hella late writing this...life keeps me busy.

Better late than never, eh ?

For The Week of 6-14-10

5. THE chicken in Hayward - for months I've been telling Mel about this awesome friend chicken place in Hayward. And on Thursday, after visiting my Uncle Bobby, my Mom, the Melanie and I picked some up for dinner. I hadn't had it for some time and it was just as great as I remember...Mel really like it too.

4. re watching "Remember The Titans" - I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this movie. And this week, we watched it on tv. It's on of Mel's fav's (she knew most,if not all, the words) and I really like it too.

3. "Party Down" - this series, on Starz, I've been hearing about some time but never watched....until this week. In large part because there was nothing else on, I gave an episode a chance. And found it funny. Real funny. The main cast is made up of people you've seen in other movies, but are never the star. Yet they are always funny. There are cameo's aplenty. If you are a fan of The Office, you will like this movie.

2. Getting to eat some leftovers from Mel's family party - despite my best efforts, and though I really wanted to be there, work didn't let me make it to the Ganda family Fathers day get together. But, thankfully, The Melanie brought home some leftovers from some of my favorite cooks.

1. Talking music with My Uncle Bobby - My Uncle Bobby taught me almost everything about music. When I was a kid and only listened to Rap, he was the one who told me to keep my ear open to everything. He played the old Motown sound and the blues ( I wouldn't have learned/respected John Lee Hooker and Stevie Ray Vaughn had he not played them for me). I, in turn, played him The Black Keys and other new bands he hadn't heard of.

Had it not been for my Uncle Bobby, I would not have had the love for music that I do.

Every Sunday, when I still lived at home, I would wake up to find my Mom cooking breakfast and him playing some music on the stereo. That, and simply sitting in the living room listening to music with him, are some of my fondest teenage memories.

With him being sick, we haven't talked about music like we used to . But this week, when I went to see him, he talked to me about hearing some Stevie Ray on someones radio. He talked about not hearing that song and how good it sounded and how, from the first few notes, he knew it was SRV. "He has that signature sound, ya know ? " It was great to talk tunes with him, if only for a second. For those five minutes, it was like old times. I miss those times so much.


So...that's it.
what's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...6-7-10

For The Week Of 6-7-10

5. "National Treasure" - I'll admit, when this movie came out (both in the theatre and on dvd) I thought it would be stupid and decided not to check it out. That is, until this week. With a recommendation from both Melly and Ashley, I watched this (not at all a copy of Indiana Jones) action movie...and I liked it way more than I thought I would. A fun plot with a few funny lines. It was a decent movie. 7.5/10.

4. "The Long Long Trailer" - I've seen this movie, a favorite of the Melanie, a few times and liked it...but, for some reason, I really really enjoyed watching it this time. A fun, funny old movie starring Lucy and Desi...if you like "I Love Lucy" then you will enjoy this as well.

3. Curry Calamari - This week, on a day off, Mel, Ashley and I tried a new Chinese food place close to home....I had the curry calamari lunch special (came with rice) and, although kinda spicy, it was really good.

2. The Dinner Melanie made on Thursday - Chicken and bell peppers, rice and broccoli....really tasty.

1. Chef Mel and Chef Ashley are awesome !! - It was a great night on Saturday....Got off work and had a great dinner (Steak and potato's Tom style ). While Mel cooked the steak, I made the taters...and back to the future was playing on tv while we cooked !! Mel and Ashley made a great apple crisp for dessert. We played some mario kart and watched Toy Story 1 & 2 while we ate. Great movies, great food, great game...best off all, great people. What could be better?

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...5-31-10

For The Week Of 5-31-10

5. Frannie's 21 !! - This weekend my cousin Frannie turned 21 and we had a family bbq full of tasty food and family I hadn't seen in some time. Later, we went to a bar...more on this later...

4. Having a nice clean apartment - This, in all honesty, is all because of The Melanie.

3. The best idea I've had in some time - Mel, The Ashley and I made some S'MORES (!!) on Thursday night. I saw an ad in the Sunday paper for all the stuff you need to make s'mores being on sale and decided that getting it sounded like a delicious idea. And I was right !! We microwaved the chocolate and marshmallow and it was melty goodness.

2. A day off, a tasty trip - On my day off Melanie, Ashley and I took a trip to the Jelly Belly factory. The free tour is fun as you can see all the workers making the jelly beans, the air smelled of cherries and root beer, depending on where you were walking and at various times during the tour you are given sample jelly beans to eat. The icing on the cake though was the free bag of jelly beans you get at the end of the tour. A fun day.

1. Boozin' with my Mommy - As part of Frannie's 21st birthday festivities my family and I went to local bar, Spoontonic, for a few drinks. This was the first time ever that I've had a drink with my mom. She had A drink, I had several. It was fun and what I'm sure was a once in a lifetime experience.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...5-24-10

For The Week Of 5-24-10

5. The Lumpia Mel, Ashley and I had from the bbq place by my work- You normally wouldnt think that a bbq place would have great tasting lumpia...or lumpia at all for that matter. But this place, Team Rib house, I think its called has it. Tasty as hell.

4. Getting my Mario Kart Mojo back - after a long time of not playing cause of a hurt thumb, then just simply getting my ass kicked, it seemed my best Mario Kart days were behind me. I was stuck in second place. And this week I started to win again. And while, I can admit, Mel has become the better kart driver than me, I managed to win some here and there this week.

3. The season finale of "Community" - my favorite new show of the season ended this week. And while not my favorite show on tv this year(that would be Lost) this was one of the funniest. My favorite character, Senior Chang, had a big part and, as always, did not let me down in the funny department.

2. Home made meatball sub+ Breeze coming in the windows+ dvd of old Twilight Zone episodes checked out from the library+Being home with The Melanie = great night.

1. Marvel's "Secret Invasion" - this week, while browsing around Barnes & Noble, I sat down and read the entire Secret Invasion. And man, was it good. Full of action, great scenes and a HUGE battle to end the whole thing...if this were a movie, it would have been a summer blockbuster of epic proportions. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. Great read.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...5-17-10

Late writing this week...but, whatever...no many people are reading.


For The Week Of 5-17-10

5. treating myself to a fresh stack of magazines and comic books.

4. The Black Keys get famous - The Black Keys are a band I've recommended to dozens of people. They are a great blues/rock band whom I've been listening to since 2003. And with the release of there new album "Brothers" (haven't heard it yet) they have gotten more exposure than any album previous. An article in Rolling Stone and the cd available in Target.

3. Hanging out at home, watching old episodes of the Twilight Zone, with Mel.

2. 5 hours of new "Lost" this week, including the much-discussed-in-our-house series finale.

1. Y, The Last Man : This week I finished the 10th and final graphic novel of this series. I checked out each one from the library. And it was a great series. Not perfect, there were some boring storylines, but altogether great. The story, about the last man on earth after a plague wipes out 99.9% of the males on earth, was one I looked forward to reading each time the library had a new volume ready for me to check out.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...5-10-10

For The Week Of 5-10-10

5. The awesome dinner Mel and I made together ( Pork chops, spinach and rice ) and watching funny episodes of "Community" and "30 Rock".

4. "Iron Man 2"- A bootleggin' trip brought me this movie. I'd been looking forward to seeing it for some time...and a kick ass trailer only made me more excited. I enjoyed the first one more than I thought I would so, anticipation was high. And then I watched it. And it was just okay. The battles, though few and far between, were fun but I thought there was a bit too much talking...not enough shit blowing up. 7.5/10. Bootleg was a decent quality though...

3. "Date Night" - another decent looking bootleg. I thought this movie looked funny, but wasnt dying to see it. It was a pleasant surprise though, a fun funny movie that I (we) enjoyed more than I initally thought. 8/10.

2. Los Lobos goes Disney - Up until this week, I did not know of this cds existence. The music is exactly what the title implies...Disney cover songs done by Los Lobos. And there spin on a few classic songs was great. Many thanks to The Melanie for getting me this little gem.

1. Tom + Mel = 2 years - There is nobody who puts up with me better....makes me more happy...is more beautiful....gets me and my weirdness....and my nerdiness...or I would rather come home to than her. She is my definition of happy. And I love her.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...5-3-10

For The Week Of 5-3-10

5. The delicious fried rice that Melly has been making recently

4. Having a great mother's day with My Mom.

3. "Inkspell" - The sequel to "Inkheart". A good story that took awhile to get really good. Although it took me a long time to finish it, I really enjoyed the last half of this book. Currently, I'm reading the last part of the Inkworld trilogy. And I'm enjoying it...

2. The last 20 minutes of Lost - in which 4 major characters met a watery end. Although I've heard some complain it was a bit to Titanic of an ending I found myself glued to the tv watching. I don't know how this season is going to end but the end of this weeks episode was, arguably, the best of the season.

1. Thursday night- In which Mel and I made a great dinner ( Fried Chicken, broccoli and rice) and watched some funny shows ( Community, 30 Rock and The Marriage Ref ). It was, after a long day at work, a great night of relaxing at home with my favorite person.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...4-26-10

Last year I hurt my hand at work, it became infected and had to be sliced and diced in the er. And this week, for some reason, it got infected again. It just started hurting for some reason and before I knew it, was swollen and nasty looking. I was off work for most of this week in pain.

Still, looking back on this week, it wasnt hard to find a Top 5...

For The Week Of 4-26-10

5. Having the always awesome Bravo's pizza with My Mom, Ashley and Mel - It was Ashley's first time having Bravos ( I hope she liked it).

4. Watching old episodes of "The Twilight Zone" with Mel - For some reason, I felt like watching something in black and white. And because oft his I rented this dvd, featuring 6 episodes from the old series (one episode had a young William Shatner) for free from the library. Mel and I liked it way more than I thought either of us would. A fun afternoon.

3. "Howl's Moving Castle" - Another free rental from the library (call me nerdy,but I love going there !! ). Mel and, later, Zac have been telling me about this movie for some time now...and I was skeptical on watching it as I'm not an "anime" fan. If I had known what I was missing out on...I would've watched this sooner. A great story and visuals. I enjoyed this movie WAAAY more than I thought. 8/10.

2. Free Comic Book Day - In which Mel, Ashley and I went and got, combined, 18 free comics (we went to two places). Also,on this day I picked up the newest issue of X-men in which a major character (and one of my personal favs ) dies. A great way to end a long day ( it was my first day back to work after being out all week with a bum thumb).

1. Going to the Giants game with The Ganda Girls - even though the wrong team won, it was a great day out at the ballpark...even if we all got sun burned.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...4-19-10

For The Week Of 4-19-10

5. The delicious Costco Bacon Mac'n'cheese we had for dinner on thursday night.

4. Microwave Churros !!- This week, while looking around the grocery store, I stumbled on this little treat...and, I knew I must try it. And it was awesome !! Usually when I'm at costco I get a churro...and either a hot dog or chicken bake depending on my mood. But to take it home and, in less than two minutes, enjoy this tasty ethnic treat...it was great times !!

3. Hanging out with Mel and Ashley on Saturday - We didnt do anything fancy, watched tv and movies, but its always great to hang with two of my favorite people.

2. "La Mission" - I wanted to see this movie since I saw the trailer for it a month or so ago. The story, of a father and son growing up in the Mission district, was a good one. The oldies soundtrack was fantastic but, most of all, it was great to see the Mission district. To see places I've been to or driven by my whole life (they even mention the Mcdonalds on 24th)...that was really cool.

1. Spending friday night with the most beautiful girl IN THE WORLD - After a long day (crazy busy and my didn't-know-how-badly-at-the-time-injured/infected hand was killing me, more on this next week !!) it was great going to a filling dinner(country bear) and spend a few hours reading at Barnes and Noble...reading and enjoying being with her....and we also had a peanut butter cookie from the cafe !!

So, that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week - 4-12-10

For The Week Of 4-12-10

5. Celebrating Christina's 21st birthday @ DNA Lounge - The best part of the night...Mel danced with Me !!

4. Finally getting some new jeans.

3. Issue #1 of "G.I. Joe: Cobra II " - Last week I talked about the previous graphic novel and how good it was...this issue, the first in another mini series, keeps the awesomeness rolling.

2. "Alex Chilton" by The Replacements - From the first time we played this song on Rockband, Mel and I thought it was catchy. And this week, we have been playing it alot. The song has weird lyrics but is a shout out to real life singer Alex Chilton (The Box Tops, Big Star) is a fun 4 minutes of 80's pop. Also, I found this odd....a few lyrics say" If he died in Memphis, would that be cool"...this song came out in the 80's and last month the real Alex Chilton died...in Memphis....weird.

1. Coming home, eating some cake and watching "The Long Long Trailer" (starring Lucy & Desi) with my Melly - The cake was good, the movie was really funny and spending time with the most beautiful girl in the world is what I call a GREAT night !!

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...4-5-10

For The Week Of 4-5-10

Honorable Mention : World War Hulk - Picked up this graphic novel, which I've been wanting to read since I read the awesome "Planet Hulk" some time ago, at Wondercon. A fun read that was full of action. There is something very statisfying about seeing those D bags Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man get there ass handed to them by a pissed off Hulk.

5. What I did after getting out of work early on saturday - Picked up the Melanie and had some lunch. We then went to the library. Got a few cool books and cds to put into my itunes. Came home and had some tasty rice krispy treats that she had made earlier. It was a fun day.

4. G.I. Joe : Cobra - Another graphic novel I picked up at Wondercon last week. I'd heard this was good but didnt expect much. What I also didnt expect was how friggin awesome this thing was. This was something I never thought possible....a gritty, realistic GI Joe story. No shooting red and blue lazers here...people get killed. Taking an obscure Joe ( Chuckles, who had maybe 2 scenes in the old school cartoon movie) the story shows him, undercover, working his way into the ranks of Cobra. This was, to me, "The Departed" with GI Joe characters. I recommend this one.
P
3. The dinner my Mom made (Picadillo) for Melly and I on Friday night.

2. Spending the day in Santa Cruz with Mel and The Ashley - It was a perfect weather day. There was bumper cars and cheese fries (though not together) and smiles all around. A fun day with two of my favorite people !!

1. Spending an afternoon snacking,reading and listening to the rain outside our window with my Melly by my side - In a word or two...nothing could be better.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...3/29/10

For The Week Of 3-29-10

5. Going to a random bar in the city and having a drink or two to celebrate Lori's birthday.

4. Looking in the Sunday Chronicle and finding an article on the Excelsior dist. -Best of all there was a big picture, and quotes, from Marty, the owner of Amazon Barber shop...the place where I got my hair cut since I was a kid, right up until I moved to Walnut Creek.

3. Having a great tasting Easter lunch/dinner with Melanie's family.

2. Hanging out, watching "School Of Rock" and making (!!) a pizza with Melanie and Ashley on Friday night - They did all of the work,all I did was put some peperoni on it...it tasted great. And School of Rock is always awesome.

1. Wondercon with Melanie and Ashley- in which we braved the huge crowd to enjoy all things nerdy. This was Ashley and Mel's first time going and, for me, it was fun having people to go with. I got to shake hands with Lou Farigno (Tv's incredible hulk...who didnt really want to shake my hand) and former wwf million Dollar champion Virgil (who was much nicer). Picked up some cool graphic novels I've been looking forward to reading. A fun time was had by all.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...3-22-10

For The Week Of 3/22/10

5. Having a bbq with my coworkers while the store was closed for a week, for remodeling.

4. Spending the day at Santa Cruz - During my week off Mel and I decided to drive to Santa Cruz and enjoy a day at the beach. We spent a few hours laying out in the sand, reading, relaxing and dipping our toes in the sand.

3. The "Richard" episode of "Lost" - The past few episodes of Lost have been kick ass. It's still frustrating at times (stop introducing new people, start wrapping up the old peoples stories) but this weeks episode...featuring the islands ageless "advisor" was awesome !!

2. Getting a library card

1. The tomato rice/ beef' 'n' spinish dish Melanie made for dinner on Friday night -In all honesty, it was one of the best meals ever made on our stove !! I ate and ate till I couldn't move.

So...thats it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...3-15-10

For the week of 3-15-10

HM: The crispy shrimp we got from the dim sum place.

5. Finally tasting the much talked about Zucchini lasagna that Celine made on Sunday- For years now Mel has talked about how awesome this dish was...and she was right !! A tasty meal.

4. Watching Harry Potter with Mel,her Mom and Ashley - A fun, unplanned night, watching the potter and eating some burger king.

3. Drinking + Mario Kart = Awesome !! - Lose a race, take a drink...Mel is the better driver than I...that is all I really remember....

2. Picking my Giants games for the upcoming season - And while I only got a few games this year, they are good ones, and I'm really looking forward to the season starting !!

1. Grabbing a few blankets, some bottles of water and spending an afternoon on my day off reading in the park with the most beautiful girl in the world - In case you were wondering, though it should not come as a shock, I'm talking about The Melanie!!

So...thats it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...3-8-10

Wow. This Top 5 is LATE (in capitol letters to emphisis the lateness). But, better late then never...

For The Week Of 3-8-10

5. Rewatching "The Emperors New Groove"- Up until last year I'd never seen this movie. And I'm so glad I decided to watch it. A fun, FUNNY movie that I enjoy from start to finish. You put this on after Disney's Hercules...maybe with some nachos to feed me...and you've got one happy Tommy !!

4. Library book sale - The other day, while visiting the library (also on the list) I saw a sign that read : Library book sale Sat. So myself, Melanie and my Mom decided to check it out. My Mom, who loves reading more than maybe anyone on this planet, found something in the neighborhood of 20 books...all for under the prices of a new paperback!! Mel, another book junkie, found some books shes been looking forward to reading for sometime. And even I found one or two paperbacks that looked great. It was a fun time.

3. The bacon,mushroom and provalone burger I had at Big Mouth burgers in San Bruno - The mushrooms were fresh , the bacon was extra crisp (just like I like) and the cheese was melted (always a plus). It was a tasty meal.

2. The Shrimp, abalone, alvacado and oysters cocktail I had at the Mexican place I dont know the name of in Hayward.

1. My Great thursday - Went to eat some sushi for lunch then went to 1/2 price books were I got a comic book for a quarter. Went to Flying colors were Mel bought me the new issue of "Cable". Went to the library where Mel got a library card and I checked out the first book of "Y the last man", which I'd been looking forward to reading. After a trip to Safeway, we made some kickass tacos. A fun day with my favorite person.


(Top 3 was all food, I must've been hungry this week !! And am getting hungry writing this. Haha)


So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Today

Today is March 12, 2010...

Though it often feels like just a year or two ago...20 years ago today, its hard to belive, my Dad passed away.

I thought today would be filled with sadness, and although remembering todays anniversary was the first thing on my mind as I woke up, today was a really good day. And it was all because of Melanie.

In years past, on this day, as my friends can attest, I would go out and simply get really drunk. I dont know why, but at the time, it seemed like a good escape. Not the case this year. With a short work day, I was able to come home and spend the better part of my day with my favorite person in the world. Spending time with her today...we read, we laughed and just hung out...it took my mind of things. It helped. Without realizing it Mel made what I thought was going to be an awful day, a day I was dreading since, well, the beginning of the year...without realizing it she made it a great day. And all she did was simply be herself. We didnt do anything special, go anywhere special or anything like that. She is simply is my definition of happiness.

And when I'm sad, no matter what, coming home to her makes it all better.

Thank you. I love you.

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...3-1-10

For The Week Of 3-1-10

5. Picking up and enjoying the tasty treat that is In-n-Out burgers (and animal style fries) with my favorite person in the world, from our apartment, on a rainy day.

4. Rewatching (except part 2 ) the Indiana Jones films = For most of this week, movie wise, it was Indy week at the apartment. And I dont mean independent films. Each night, Mel put on a different Indiana Jones film. And, while I'd only a few years ago seen all of them, it was fun to sit back and relax with a few fun action movies. We enjoyed them.

3. Going to Spoontonic on Friday night, having a few drinks and hanging out with some of my old peeps from Borders.

2. Saturday Night - For the first time ever I watched "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs". And I enjoyed it. 8/10. I dont know why I waited so long to see it. After the movie, Mel and I played Mario Kart on our Nintendo DS'. And I got my 200th victory (according to the games stats) over my Love. In all honesty, I didnt think we played that game as much as the records told me we did. Still, it was a fun night.

1. Spending a friday with The Ganda Girls - On friday I went with Mel and her sisters to see "Alice In Wonderland" in 3D. The movie wasnt that great. 6/10. Too much of the same Tim Burton / Johnny Deep familiarity. After the movie we hung out at the apartment where, for the first time ever, I watched the Disney version of "Alice In Wonderland" (before anyone reading points this out, yes, there are more than a few old Disney cartoons I've yet to see). And I liked it, slightly, more than the new live action version. 7/10 (or some weird fraction in a mad hatter rating scale...mayhaps, 700/100...or something). Though the movies were just okay. I had fun. as I always do, hanging out with Mel and her sisters.

So..that's it.

What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...2-22-10

For The Week Of 2-22-10

5. Eating cheap (tasty) food -At the risk of stating the obvious, bbq ribs are damn tasty. And this place, smokin' okies, a mile or two from the apartment, has $1 a rib night on Monday nights. The jack in the box a few blocks away did a promotion where, with the purchase of a large soda, you could get a free sandwhich. And because of this, Mel and I enjoyed a tasty lunch. And the chicken bakes and pizza slices are cheap and good at costco. Good food, at the right prices.

4. Downloading some good songs - Found some hidden gems ( Stevie wonder and Stevie Ray Vaughn playing "Superstition" together) I didnt know about. Found some songs I've always liked ("I'd rather be with you" by Bootsie Collins and, the song that samples the same beat, "Gettin It" by Too $hort) but didnt own. As a music geek, I had a great night looking for new tunes.

3. Finally, after a long time thinking it was lost, finding my Nintendo DS- one of my favorite consoles has come back to me...and I celebrated this by out driving Mel in Mario Kart...

2. The acoustic version of "Like A Stone" by Chris Cornell- I liked this Audioslave song when it first came out and this stripped down version sounds even better.

1. "Shutter Island" - A great, tense movie. I thought I figured out how it would end from watching the trailer...but a twist at the end told me I hadn't figured everything out. I enjoyed this movie. 8/10.

So, that's it...

What's been cool about your week...?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...2-15-10

For The Week Of 2-15-10

5. Bowling with my Co-workers

4. Making some tasty fajitas and rewatching "The Princess And The Frog" - Thanks to my mom for picking up some carne asada and some chicken for Mel and I to cook. It only took a few minutes to cook,we added some rice and, while eating this tasty meal, watched a dvd quality bootleg of "The Princess and The Frog". A great meal and a fun, funny movie. A fun night.

3. "What is this fool, salad crazy"- This week we've been eating our fare share of salads. I made a tasty salad with spinish leafs, dried cranberrys, crutons and tuna...with a little salt, pepper and lime juice. But Mel's salad was FAR better than mine...she made a "everything but the greasy shell" taco salad. Ground beef (!!), alvacado, lettuce, shredded cheese...all things awesome.

2. Going to Moonstar Buffet with My Mom - I ate until I hardly move...seafood overload...it was great.

1. "Zombieland" - I'll be honest, when this movie was in theatres, depite liking most things zombie, I thought it looked stupid. So, when netflix brought this to us this week, I didnt expect much. What I did see was gory and funny (Bill Murray in a great cameo) and a fun start to what ended up being quite the movie marathon that day. 7.5/10.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...2-8-10

For The Week Of 2-8-10

5. Going bootleggin', reading on bart, getting a few good movies and , on the way back, running into my mom on the bart train home.

4. "What is this fool, sandwhich crazy ??" - In short, I've been in a sandwich kinda mood recently. In addition to making a few boloney (doesnt seem like the right spelling, but google says different) sandwiches I've been going to this store down the street that makes an awesome egg salad. I also, on the same day, got a turkey and pastrami for Mel. We each got a half of each and enjoyed the sandwich awesomeness.

3. Making awesome things with clay at Mel's Mom's craft shop - Go visit the Crafters Retreat...its wicked fun.

2. Cleaning the apartment and finding good stuff - It was like christmas morning...among the treasures uncovered : Several unread magazines, new cds I thought lost...and over $100 in cash!!

1. My 2nd Valentines Day with The Melanie !! - My second valentines day with my love was fun from start to finish. We went to the movies and saw an okay film (Percy Jackson & The Olympians : The Lightning Thief) and I made an epic sandwich ( I dont want to give away my recipe) for dinner. We watched movies and spent time together. She got me Kanye West's VH1 Storytellers cd (its hilarious, he rants about the weirdest crap) and she custom made me an awesome shirt like the shirt worn by of my favorite comic chracters (X-factor's Maddrox, look it up). It was a great day and, like everyday before that one, I'm happiest when I get to spend the day with her.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week...?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...2-1-10

For the week of 2-1-10

5. Planet Hulk on dvd - Sometime last year I spent almost an entire day reading the graphic novel "Planet Hulk", it was a great story. The Hulk, exiled by his superhero "friends" to another world, is made a slave, then gladiator and rises to eventually become king. This bootleg of the movie was a good quality and kept mostly faithful to the original story. A fun watch.

4. Having a great "superbowl " sunday - Because it was so slow at work, I got sent home early and was able to go to Zac's house for a superbowl party. The food was good (pizza and chocolate cake) and the beer was cold. The game was okay. Came home and read the paper while watching a fun episode of "Iron Chef" with Mel (who won a few dollars and bragging rights, in superbowl bets ). The weather was great and I had a great day.

3. "My Babe" by Little Walter - Not too long ago I watched a movie called "Cadillac Records" and I really liked it. This was one of the songs in the movie and I've been playing it off and on all week.

2. Having three days off to hang out, watch movies and spend time with my favorite person in the world.

1. "Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening" by Aziz Ansari - Mel and I watched this comedy special a few weeks ago and it was really funny. So, while at target, I decided to get the comedy cd. And, no lie, we have been saying lines from it all week...a funny album from a really funny dude.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week ?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...1-25-10

For The Week Of 1-25-10

5. Having some tasty Dim Sum with Mel and My Mom on Monday night.

4. Rewind mixes - All week long, I've been in an old school rap kinda mood. I'm talking about the rap music I grew up with... 2Pac, Biggie, Bay Area Rap (Dre Dog, RBL, Too $hort)...that later extended to some mid-90's R&B (Anyone but me remember Shai ? Or the remix to "Anything" that SWV did with the Wu ? ). It was good to play some tracks that brought me back to the days when I had to take 3 buses just to go to mall with my friends, days of domino games and beeps burgers, days of Mario Kart and NBA Jam for the super nintendo. I miss those days sometimes...

3. The awesome food Mel's Dad made on Saturday - Tasty, tasty meal. And ...I'd be lying if I said that one of my favorite parts was the leftovers we got to take home !!

2. Hanging out, eating pizza and watching "The Royal Rumble" with Freddie and Ponch - It was fun to hang out with my friends, whom I havent seen in months. And like most great friends, it was as if we had seen eachother the other day. Lots of joking around, shit talking 'n' such....a great time.

1. Dessert Pizza - Not too long ago, I was watching a show called, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and they talked of a dessert pizza some high priced resturant makes. I said to myself, I could make that. And this week, I did !! With the help of a pre-made pizza dough, I threw a few tasty things (my recipe is all my own), baked for 15 min. @ 350 degrees and...a tasty treat was enjoyed by all.

So...that's it.
What's been cool about your week?

Tom's Top 5 Awesome Things This Week...1-18-10

For The Week Of 1-18-10

5. New Tires - A week or so ago, I went to get an oil change. And, as they would tell me, the tires needed to be replaced. All of them !! This was an expensive job and I felt Honda was going to overcharge me. Costco, where I eventually took the car, had a much better deal. And with a coupon (thanks Celine and Mel's Dad) and My Mom helping me out, I'm now driving on four good tires !!

4. When The Rain Comes Down...- On Monday, with the clouds gathering overhead, Mel and I went to safeway and got all we'd need to feed ourselves for what looked like a rain soaked week. And we were right. The rain poured and poured. Lightning flashed as if someone where taking a picture of us (a tree, while we were watching, was hit by a lightning bolt. We watched as it smoked up, only to be put out by the downpour). But, having that first rain filled day off, it was great to hang out, watch movies, read and be with my Melly, all while the rain outside acted as our backround music.

3. The downloadable content on SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 for the xbox 360 - It seems every game, be it months or years after hitting stores, offers some downloadable content. Sometimes its a new level or chracter and its almost always at a price. However, thus far, the dlc for this game has been free. And you have a ton of stuff to choose from. My favorite is the ability to download, FOR FREE I TELL YOU, a created chracter someone else has uploaded to the database. And seemingly anyone you want is there. From almost any genre...be it old wrestler (ricky the dragon steamboat)...comic book chracter (cyclops, cable, spiderman)...you can even get Harry Potter in the ring for a cage match...I've been enjoying the hell out of this game (maybe a little too much, have yet to play nba 2k10) and this has just added to the overall fun for me.

2. Hanging out, riding bart and going to the swap meet with The Ashley - We picked up a few (I hope) good bootlegs. But, more than that' I had alot of fun.

1. A Legen...wait for it...dary 4 seasons-in-4-days "How I Met Your Mother" marathon with The Melanie - I like this show and, taking advantage of the sweet combination of a gift card and a sale at target, I picked up the last two seasons of this show...I'd already owned the first two. And I started watching. Once Mel woke up, she started watching with me. Before we knew it, hours went by. And we were cracking up. It was  a great time...enjoying a great show (you, whomever is reading, should check it out) , with my favorite person.

So...thats it.

What's been cool about your week?